Free The Honeymoon Trap by Kelly Hunter

her every which way, tossing her around as if she were seaweed. Eli fared better. Maybe they were in the wrong spot. Maybe they needed to get out past the breaking waves. ‘You want to go out further?’
    ‘Not today, Sherlock. Your lips are turning blue as it is.’
    ‘Really?’ She should probably go in. ‘Five more minutes.’
    He nodded, and for five more minutes they played, and then a wave pulled her in and spat her out hard. By the time she surfaced she was halfway back to the beach and she figured she may as well keep going all the way out of the water.
    But it proved much harder to get back in than it had been to get out. The undertow kept trying to sweep her sideways and succeeding, and the rip was getting closer every time she lost her footing. She didn’t want to get stuck in that long string of foamy water streaming back out to sea. Didn’t want the lifesavers to have to come and get her. Not at all.
    In the end, Eli simply hauled her close, and with her back to his chest and the pair of them still on watch for oncoming waves, he began to walk them backwards towards the shore. Half the time Zoey’s arms and legs trailed after them like a rag-doll’s. The other half of the time she was kicking him in the shins as she tried to get her feet beneath her and help him along. ‘Is this going the way you expected?’
    ‘Not so much.’
    ‘Yeah, me either.’ So much for the honeymoon image she’d conjured of her and Eli chest to chest and cheek to cheek as warm water gently caressed their skin. It was a great image. She liked it a lot.
    But it wasn’t happening.
    By the time they reached knee-high water and Eli let them turn around, Zoey was exhausted. ‘Mind if we just rest for a—’ He didn’t answer, just picked her up, carried her back to the towels and moments later he had one wrapped around her, dry and fluffy, cutting out the wind, enveloping her like a cocoon. ‘Okay, that’ll work too,’ she offered with a faint grin and crumpled down to sit on the sand.
    ‘Will you be okay while I go and have a word with the lifeguards?’
    ‘Sure.’
    A couple of minutes later, Eli and one of the lifeguards ventured back into the water. Five minutes after that they were back out and the flags were coming down and the beach was being declared closed to swimming.
    Guess even the youngest of the Jackson clan knew how to take control.
    She’d kinda never doubted it.
    It took her a while for her heart rate to settle and the lethargy to leave her limbs.
    ‘You okay?’ Eli asked when he returned. He sent her a swift, searching glance as he bent to pick up their stuff.
    ‘Getting there.’
    ‘Let’s head back to the hotel.’
    ‘Can we stay a while longer? I’m aiming to do a little whale watching.’
    ‘Wrong season.’ He held out his hand. ‘Up.’
    ‘You can be a little immovable sometimes. Do you know that?’
    ‘Yes.’ His hand stayed right where it was, waiting for hers, and finally she took it with a sigh and let him haul her to her feet. He didn’t let go of her hand as they headed across the sand towards the hotel. Halfway there he stopped, tucked her dress and his T-shirt into the waistband of his boxers, draped their towels around his neck and asked if she wanted a piggy back.
    Did she really want her legs wrapped around that powerful body? Her chest plastered to all that bare skin?
    Turns out she did.
    He hefted her effortlessly, made her feel like a lightweight as they tracked back across the sand and Zoey was grateful for the contact and the warmth. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek on his warm, still-damp shoulder and tasted salt on her lips from the contact with his skin.
    ‘Are you falling asleep on me?’
    ‘Uh huh. Best blankets ever – you on one side and the sun on the other.’
    ‘It’s really not that cold.’
    ‘Not anymore.’
    He took her in through the side entrance to the hotel and didn’t put her down until they were at the door to the Queen suite, and